Together Again- Adopted Human Karkat x Reader
by introspectiveSeeker
Summary: he moment I saw him, with his black sweater and grumpy face, I knew he was the one to be my new brother. We've always been extremely close, but lately Karkat has been avoiding me. And lately, I've been having strange dreams of Karkat. Our relationship is changing, but for the better or for the worse?
1. Chapter 1

Notes:

[f/n]= first name

Together, we are floating in endless space. Millions of stars, all that is left of the galaxy, surround us. What was known as Earth, and Alternia, no longer exists. It is just Karkat and me. After all that blood, tears, defeats, loss, and hard work, we had beat the game. And now, everything in the universe is being reset so that a new universe can be created. Meaning that soon, Karkat and I will no longer remember each other. Everything we've been through together will be wiped away, so that we may start over. All of our friends have already disappeared, one by one. Soon, either Karkat or I will disappear next.

Karkat's hand grips mine tightly, his slight tremors causing my own hand to shake. He is trying so hard to hold back his tears, but the translucent red liquid persists on falling. Tears pool at the edge of my eyes as well, but I don't bother holding them back. Unlike Karkat, I have a smile on my face. Albeit a saddened one, but a smile nonetheless.

I look him in his eyes, his frightened and sad eyes. "It'll be ok, Karkat," I tell him. "Me and you, we're connected by destiny. In the new world, I just know we'll meet again. Deep down in my soul, I can never forget you. I'm red for you, forever and always."

Karkat, my Karkat who is always shouting and unable to shut up, is incapable of speaking. He pulls me close in a tight embrace, choked sobs escaping his mouth. It makes it hard for me not to break down myself, but I'm holding on to my strong conviction that this is not the end for us.

"I love you, [f/n]," Karkat chokes out. "I don't want to forget you. This isn't what I fought so hard for."

"I know, Karkat, I know," I whisper. "But you'll see, we'll be together again. No matter what. We are the ones who are making the new universe, after all. It has to abide to our wishes and desires. I won't say goodbye. Instead, I'll see you later."

Whatever Karkat's response was going to be, I would never hear it. Slowly, I faded away, Karkat's wide and remorseful red eyes burned into my mind.

Karkat's existence will forever be burned into me, even with my memories gone.

I hold onto my dad's hand, toddling on while trying to keep up with his pace. Today, Mommy and Daddy are getting me a new brother or sister. I smile widely, imagining all the fun things I'll get to do with my new playmate. I'll let him play with all my toys, we can play hide and seek, color together; we'll be the bestest of friends!

We reach what Mommy and Daddy calls an orphanage, a place where kids wait to get new mommies and daddies. While they are taking care of adult stuff, Daddy tells me to go play with the kids of the orphanage. A lady takes me to a big play area with a bunch of other kids; the sounds of laughter, shouting, and thudding feet surround me.

The lady leaves me to wander around and do as I please. Shyly, I look at all the kids playing. One of these kids could be my new brother or sister. I scan the room, looking for someone who seems friendly enough to play with. I spot a black sweater, which stands out among the colorful summer clothes of the other children. Unlike the happy children, this lone boy has a grumpy look set on his face. I can tell he wants to cry, he is just acting tough.

Drawn to him, and concerned, I decide to try and help him out. "Are you ok?" I ask the boy, who looks up at me with a glare.

"I'm fine!" he shouts at me, his voice surprisingly very loud. "Leave me alone."

I look at the boy with concern, and crouch down so we are eye level. "You look upset. If you tell me what's wrong, I can help you!" He scoffs at me. Normally, such behavior would of made me upset. But looking at him, I can tell he is the one who is upset, so I don't mind his mean behavior.

"You're lying, you don't want to help me. You just want to make fun of me like everyone else!" he accuses.

I shake my head rapidly at him, denying his accusation. "No, I'll help! I promise!" I tell him. I hold out my pinky finger to him. "I pinky promise."

He stares at my finger suspiciously, and for a moment I was scared he was going to bite it. But slowly, he wraps his pinky against mine. "It's a pinky swear, if you're lying you're going to get it," he tells me. I smile widely at him.

"Got it! Now, what's wrong?" I ask him.

He bites his lip, casting his strangely red eyes downwards. He points at two boys playing with a stuffed toy that looks like a crab. "They stole my toy and won't give it back."

I stand up and dust myself off. "Ok, I'll get it back for you," I tell him.

I march over to the boys and stand before them, outstretching my hand. "Hey," I say to them, trying to make my voice sound stern, "can I please have that toy back?"

They snicker at me. "Make us," one of the boys sneer.

I cross my arms and look at them sternly. "I'm going to count to five," I tell them, just like my mommy. "If you don't give me back the toy, I'm going to scream really loudly and tell everyone you are being bullies." They laugh at me, still refusing to give me the toy. "One," I say loudly, voice firm. They shake their heads at me. "Two." They stop moving and look at me unbelievingly. "Three." I can tell they are starting to get nervous. "Four," I say menacingly, stretching out the four.

Finally, the boy holding the toy tosses the toy at me, hitting me in the face with it. He looks at me angrily. "Here's the stupid toy," he spits at me. "We didn't want it anyways, that gross Karkat kid had his hands all over it and it was ugly." With that, both boys storm away.

"Then why steal it," I mumble to myself, miffed at the boys. Still, I got the toy, and that's all that matters. I walk over to who I assume is named Karkat and hand him his toy with a smile. "I got it back!" I tell him proudly.

He reaches out and gently takes the toy from me, hugging it to his chest. He looks at me shyly, cheeks red. "Thanks," he mumbles.

"No problem! I'm [f/n], what's your name?" I ask him.

"Karkat," he tells me, his voice returning to its normal loudness.

"Can I play with you?" I ask him.

"Do what you want," he tells me, but I can tell he is secretly happy.

I plop down beside him. "Does your toy have a name?" I ask him.

"He's Crabdad," he answers.

I poke the soft plushie. "Hi, Crabdad," I greet. Karkat, Crabdad, and I play together for awhile until it's settled in my mind, though my heart had already made up its mind a long time ago. I want Karkat to be my brother. I grab Karkat's hand. "Can I ask you something?"

"What?" Karkat asks.

"Would you like to be my new brother?" Karkat looks at me in utter shock.

"You want someone like me to be your brother?" he asks me, dumbfounded.

I nod my head enthusiastically. "I like you lots! Please, please, please be my brother!" I beg him.

His face goes beet red. He grips my hand a little tighter and nods. "I ain't got anyone better to be my family, besides Crabdad. I guess you'll do."

I laugh, delighted he said yes. "Follow me!" I command him, and drag him along in search for my parents. Just in time, they had entered the playroom. I march over to them, hand-in-hand with Karkat. "Mommy, Daddy! I found my new brother!" I exclaim, tugging Karkat closer to them. Karkat looks intimidated, like he'll be rejected soon.

They look surprised, but then smile at each other before Daddy hunches over so he can see Karkat better. "Hey there," Daddy greets Karkat. "What would your name be?"

"Karkat," Karkat answers, his voice once again losing its usual loudness.

Daddy glances at me, while I watch Daddy intensely to see his reaction. Daddy turns his attention back to Karkat. "Would you like to be part of this family?" he asks Karkat.

Karkat looks Daddy in the eye. "Yes, sir," he answers, surprisingly polite.

Daddy smiles warmly at Karkat. "Then, Karkat, welcome to the family."

"Yay!" I shout out of joy. I pull Karkat into a hug. "You're my brother now! Wait till you see our house, it's so cool!"

Meanwhile, Daddy straightens himself. "You sure about this?" Mommy asks Daddy. "We didn't even get to know him."

"[f/n] likes him, and chose him. If [f/n] likes him, he can't be a bad kid. Let's give him a shot," Daddy tells her.

Daddy, Mommy, Karkat, and I go home as a family. Oh, and Crabdad! When we reach the house, I grab Karkat's hand and dash out of the car. "I'll show you your room!" I say as I tug Karkat to his new room. Mommy and Daddy follow from behind.

I open the door to his room, located right next to mine. It's very spacious, but at the moment, empty except for a lone bed. "We'll take you shopping tomorrow to pick out some stuff for your room," Mommy tells Karkat.

"You'll be at home in no time!" I exclaim.

Starting today, Karkat is my precious brother.

Karkat has been a part of my family for years now. I blink away the sleepiness and bang on my alarm clock with pure hatred for it. I hate waking up early! I glance at a photo of Karkat and me, when we were kids. Has it already been years? Karkat and I used to be two peas in a pod, but lately Karkat has been a bit distant, and I don't know why.

I bury my face in my pillow with a heavy sigh. It's been bothering me a lot that Karkat seems angry at me for something. I close my eyes and try to remember the dream I had. Karkat was in it, or at least it seemed like Karkat. He looked very different, with gray skin and horns that looked like candy corn. Yet somehow, I just knew it was Karkat.

But...I blush heavily thinking about it. In the dream, we were lovers. I shake away the dream and stretch my sleepy bones. I throw on some clothes for school and exit my bedroom. I head for Karkat's door, opening it to reveal a sleeping Karkat. "Time to wake up!" I shout.

He bolts up, face flushed red. "What the fuck are you doing here?" he screams at me, flustered.

"Um, waking you up for school?" I reply. "What are you being so embarrassed about?"

Karkat ruffles his hand through his hair. "I had a weird dream," he tells me.

"About what?" I ask.

His face gets a little redder and he looks away from me. "None of your business," he replies. "Now get out of here so I can change."

"Ok, ok!" I say and back out of the room. I tilt my head at Karkat. "You know, I had a weird dream too."

He looks at me curiously. "About what?" he asks.

"None of your business," I reply with a smirk, and shut the door. I head on downstairs for breakfast.

"Morning, honey," Mom greets me. She places my plate of food in front of me as I sit down. She places a kiss on my cheek and says, "Cussing again?"

I laugh. "Yep, Potty Mouth is at it again. But don't worry, Mom, he's working on it, honest." Once Karkat had hit his adolescence years, he developed a bad habit of cursing, which caused him to get into a lot of trouble both at school and at home.

Mom shakes her head disapprovingly, but with a smile. Like me, she can't help but find Karkat's cussing to be amusing. Of course, she wouldn't tell Karkat that. She has to be a responsible parent, after all. Speak of the devil, Karkat comes stomping downstairs. Mom walks over to him and lightly bonks him on the head with a wooden spoon. "No cussing! You know that," she scolds.

Karkat rubs his head mockingly. "I know!" he yells. He sits down and Mom places a plate of food in front of him. Mom, Karkat, and I eat together in awkward silence. I sneak glances every now and then at Karkat. Normally, we'd be bickering teasingly by now. Is he really upset with me?

"Ah, the bus is here!" Mom cries.

"Shit!" Karkat curses, dashing for his bookbag and heading out the door.

"Language!" Mom yells after him.

"Bye mom!" I shout and follow Karkat.

I enter the bus, spotting Karkat already settled in his usual seat. I smile and head over to him, ready to sit with him as usual, when he places his bookbag on the seat. I stare at him in confusion, but he refuses to look at me. I feel a blow to my heart. Yes, he _is_upset with me. Feeling a lump in my throat, I plop down on a empty seat. What if Karkat hates me? I wouldn't be able to handle that.

Karkat is my precious brother, I love him. I really love him…

To Be Continued


	2. Chapter 2

Notes:

[f/n]= first name

He weaves his fingers with mine, his gray skin contrasting my own. He is rigid with nervousness and his face is flushed red, which makes me smile fondly at him. Physical contact always made Karkat adorably embarrassed. I lean my head against his shoulder as he keeps his eyes glued to the movie. Sadly, the movie that is playing isn't one that can capture my interest. Out of boredom, I find my eyes wandering to Karkat's candy corn horns.

I was always curious about his horns ever since Karkat made a big deal about never touching them. With Karkat being so absorbed in the movie, his guard is down. Now is my chance! Slowly and carefully, I reach out my hand towards Karkat's horns. Once my fingers are close enough, I take the opportunity to grasp one of his horns, rubbing it firmly.

Out of all the reactions I expected, I did not expect him to moan. But I did expect the rage afterwards. After all was said and done, I ended up laughing all the air out of me as I held on to Karkat affectionately. His horn sensitivity is something good to know for...future reasons. With his arms crossed in a stubborn grudge, I lean over and peck him on the cheek. To my surprise, he seizes me so that I am now on his lap.

"What pathetic excuse of an apology was that? If you want to make up for it, you got to do it better," Karkat mocks me, then pecks me on the lips.

"I can do better than that!" I declare, then peck him on the lips multiple times, slowly and gently. Before long, the brief kisses started to become much more passionate. Then…

_Beep beep beep_! My alarm clock abruptly interrupts my dream, bringing me back to reality. I stare at the ceiling for a moment, face heated to what feels like a feverish degree. Seriously, what is with my fetish for gray skin and horns, let alone my _brother_? I mean, we aren't blood related at all, but I still consider him family. Yet I can't stop these dreams, which have become more frequent.

I throw on some clothes absentmindedly, still trying to shake away the remnants of my dream. It's kind of embarrassing seeing him so soon after having such a dream, but I have to wake Karkat up. So I slap my cheeks and mentally prepare myself to see him, then go to his bedroom door. This time, I knock. Of course, he doesn't respond. Karkat always nags me about not just walking into his room, but every time I knock he doesn't hear it. I take a deep breath and open his door. "Time to wake up!" I shout the usual phrase.

And as usual, Karkat bolts up in a rageful frenzy. I hope Karkat won't be as angry as he was yesterday. We eat our breakfast in the same silence as yesterday, which tells me that Karkat is still angry at me for some unknown reason. And as I feared, Karkat once again refuses to sit with me on the bus.

Such circumstances makes it hard for me to concentrate on my teachers' lectures, because my mind is so busy trying to think up the reason Karkat is mad. But I just don't know why, so I make up my mind that I'll just have to ask him about it. The class bell rings, dismissing the students to another class. I hug my books to my chest, mind lost in thought. At the corner of my eye, I catch a glimpse of a familiar black sweater. Karkat is the only one I know who likes to wear a black sweater frequently, and just as I thought, the owner of the black sweater is Karkat.

I head over to him, determined to speak with him on friendly terms. But when I open my mouth, I notice he is not alone. Terezi is with him. I shut my mouth and stare at Karkat, whose back is turned to me. I can tell they are in the middle of a serious conversation, one that I shouldn't interrupt. My curiosity gets the better of me, so instead of moving along I stay put, wanting to hear what it is they are talking about.

"So, Karkles, you didn't forget that prom is coming up, did you?" Terezi says with her mischevious toothy grin. Terezi has her hand on Karkat's shoulder, which annoys me for some reason. She is blind, so it makes sense that she would need physical contact sometimes to know her surroundings. But Terezi always seemed to know her surroundings to the point that people forget she is blind, so I don't see why she needs to be touching Karkat when she knows he is right in front of her.

"No, Fuckass, the prom posters all around us failed to send signals to my brain that a night of hormonal mistakes is dawning on us," Karkat says sarcastically.

"I can't see said posters!" Terezi says with mock offense. "But I can certainly hear, and rumors been going around that you don't have a date for prom."

Karkat shuffles around nervously, and I wish I could see his face. Is he embarrassed? Happy? I don't know, and it makes me nervous. "So? Unlike the pathetic hoard of assholes who believes self worth is measured by relationship status, I for one believe that relationship status means jack shit when it comes to true self worth. I only need a partner who is worthy enough of my time, a mediocre partner who is meant to be worn around to help my image is not worth my time," Karkat says, annoyed.

Terezi cackles. "No need to be so upset, Karkles!" she says, tightening her grip on Karkat's shoulder. "I don't know about you, but I am for one not an accessory to be worn around! So on that note, am I worthy enough to be your prom date?" My breath catches. Terezi likes Karkat? I really don't like the idea of Terezi and Karkat dating.

"What?" Karkat shrieks.

Terezi chuckles. "I thought it was obvious! What I'm saying is, will you go with me to prom?"

I feel frozen in place, anticipating Karkat's response. Silence stretches on, which makes me hopeful that he doesn't want to be Terezi's date. If only I could see his face! Terezi frowns, letting go of Karkat's shoulder. I feel relief, for Karkat's silence is surely a sign of rejection.

"...Sure," Karkat softly replies. I feel my heart plummet. The ringing of the late bell resonates around me, but it barely registers. I can't even move when Karkat turns around. He looks horrified, probably because his annoying sibling witnessed him being asked out. Karkat's expression hardens, and he walks past me without saying anything. Numbly, I start placing one foot in front of the other, until eventually I am properly walking to class.

Any chance of me being able to concentrate on school was annihilated. The teachers' words fly right past me as I am consumed by thoughts of Karkat. Not only is he mad at me, but now he'll be by somebody else's side. School is finally over, so I pack my stuff and enter the bus. Karkat is staring intensly out the window, his bookbag preventing me from sitting with him. He doesn't spare me a glance as I walk past him to a different seat.

When we get home, I stomp upstairs directly to my room. I toss myself onto my bed, burying my face into my pillow. Why am I so upset? Why does it matter to me if my brother starts dating? Irregardless of reason, I am heartbroken. Sniffling, I flip around so that I am on my back. My fingers graze soft, plush material, which I grasp and hold in front of me. It's Crabdad, worn out due to all the years we've had him. Karkat had given him to me a few years back, as a token of brotherly love. I feel a tear drip off my cheek as I hug Crabdad close to my chest, my aching heart beating against it. I hug Crabdad tightly, as if Karkat won't slip from my grasp if I do so.

I can't just let things go on like this! At the very least, I want to know what I did wrong, and try to fix things between us. So I shake away my self-pity (or at least as much of it as I can) and storm into Karkat's room. He is sitting at his desk, furiously typing away. He is so absorbed in whatever conversation he is having that he doesn't notice my presence. "Karkat?" I call out hesitantly.

His body jolts, taken by surprise. His fingers tense up, eyes glued to the computer. "What?" he asks.

I wring my hands nervously. "Lately, you've been avoiding me, and acting angrier than what you normally are. Why?" I ask.

"Are you stupid? I'm not angry," Karkat says tersely.

"You're lying!" I exclaim. "You won't sit with me anymore, you keep our conversations brief, and we haven't hung out in what feels like forever! If I did something wrong, you have to tell me, because I don't know what I did!"

Karkat slams his hands on his desk, startling me. "I told you, I'm not angry at you!" he shouts. He stands up, his chair screeching against the ground. "I'm going to Sollux's house."

I feel tears sting my eyes as Karkat approaches me, still avoiding eye contact. I clench my fists angrily. I've had enough! Before Karkat can make it out the door, I tackle him with all my might, slamming him down onto his bed. I pin him down so that he can't escape. My tears drip onto his face, and for the first time in what feels like forever, he looks at me. Pain flashes across his face, but it quickly diminishes. He struggles a bit, but I hold him down firmly. "You can't leave until you tell me what's wrong," I declare.

Karkat furrows his eyebrows, shifting his eyes away from me. He closes them, taking a deep breath. He opens his eyes, looking at me once again with determination. "I'm just sick of you! You're always in my hair, all the fucking time. I need my space!" His words come like a slap to the face. I loosen my grip on Karkat, reeling far away from him. I feel like my heart has shattered. We used to be so close, but now I'm only annoying to him.

Tears continue to pour down my face as I stare at Karkat, the feeling of betrayal evident on my face. "If...if you feel that way," I stammer, "then you don't have to bother with me! I'm leaving!" I dash out the door, the world flying past me. Before I know it, I'm outside, water splashing against my skin. Of course it would be raining. Figures. But I don't stop, my feet continuously slamming against the ground as I keep on running.

Memories flash in my mind, of Karkat and me. I remember Karkat placing a band aid on a scrape on my knee, kissing it better. I remember Karkat carrying me on his back after a long day of playing at an amusement park. I remember Karkat scaring away anybody who dared to bully me. I remember our playdates, our sleepovers, our movie nights, everything. What happened? What changed?

I run until I can run no longer, stopping to place my hands on my knees in exhaustion, panting. My tears mingle with the rain. What I did just now was really stupid, but I was swept away in the moment. We live together, of course we're going to see each other. How am I going to face him now? I slump to the ground, hugging my knees to my chest. I don't know what to do, but for the moment, I just want to stay here.

But I don't get much time to wallow in my self-pity, for moments later the sound of feet splashing through water approaches me. I glance up at the person in front of me, and to my despair it is Karkat. I bury my face into my knees, unwilling to look at him.

"[f/n]," Karkat chokes out. He stays silent for a moment, receiving no response from me. "I'm so sorry!"

"Sorry?" I sob. "You're not sorry! You don't like me now, that's all there is to it!"

"That's not it!" Karkat shouts.

I stand up, glaring into Karkat's eyes. "Then what is it?" I demand. I refuse to look away, and this time, Karkat won't either. He looks so conflicted, like he is in pain almost. His face starts to redden, and I watch as he progressively becomes nervous.

Finally, he blurts out what he has been hiding from me all these years. "It's not that I don't want you near me because I hate you. I don't want you near me because I love you!" I stop breathing, staring wide eyed at him. What? I feel something bloom in my heart. "You chose me to be your brother, and I tried very hard to be just that. But when I'm around you, I want to hug you, to kiss you. Things brothers are _not _supposed to do! I thought if I distanced myself from you, the feelings would fade and I could be like your brother again. I even agreed to date Terezi to try and move on. But you're even in my dreams!"

Karkat stops his ranting, face beet red. I can see his slight trembling. I can feel my own face becoming very warm. I don't know to say. What I feel for Karkat is… "I love you too!" I blurt out. "The moment I met you, I fell in love, I just didn't realize it. I wanted you to always be by my side, so I made you my brother to do just that." My voice starts to thicken with tears. "When you said you'd date Terezi, it felt like my world fell apart. I don't ever want you to leave my side." I bury my face in my hand, little sobs breaking free.

I feel hands grip my shoulders. I remove my hands to see Karkat's beautiful red eyes, staring at me passionately. "I would never leave you. I can't bring myself to." Karkat brings me close, pressing his lips softly against my own. I feel a jolt of what feels like electricity run through my body. Images flash through my mind, images of Karkat, of when he was a troll. Memories pour into my mind, memories of a whole other life I had lived.

I pull away from Karkat, staring at him in wonder. "In those dreams, did you have gray skin and horns?" I ask.

He smiles at me, his rare smile that takes my breath away. "So you remember too?"

I laugh, the world feeling brand new. "Yep! Karkat?"

"Yeah?"

"I'm flushed for you!"

He grins softly at the troll lingo. "I'm so very red for you." We kiss again, feeling as if we have been reunited.

But it's going to be really hard explaining to my parents that my brother and I have started dating. Oh, and canceling that date with Terezi. Being on Terezi's bad side means a world of trouble.

Still, I could not be happier. As I had told Karkat, we're together again. And that's all that matters.

The End


End file.
